Introduction:
This same engine is used on the 2013-2018 (euro 3 compliant), 2019-present (euro 4 compliant) ZX-6R 636 so this oil analysis should apply to those 2 generation bikes.
I was always doubtful of the owner's manual oil interval of 12,000km (7,600mi) or 1 year, whichever came first. I always change my oil when the oil has 5,000km, because by that time the shift quality decreases and You can hear very subtle ticking sound around the fuel tank area when idling. This time I decided to test Kawaski's oil interval by keeping this oil for nearly 10,000km (6,215mi) and more than 1 year.
The bike:
2014 ZX-6R 636 bought brand new. Everything stock, no add-on fuel controller, no performance muffler, drive chain is still original. Spark plugs and air filter was never changed, the same when the bike came out of the factory. Coolant was changed after the oil change on 13-7-2017 odo: 15,447km
The Oil:
ZIC M9 4T 10W-40 fully synthetic oil. The specs can be found here. Starting TBN of 7.24
Oil was put in on 7th July 2017 odo:15,186km, oil filter was not changed. The oil filter contained some old Agip i-ride pg 10W-60. Oil analysis sample was taken while draining the oil on 5th May 2019 odo: 24,996km. The oil mileage was 9,810km 1 year 10 months old.
Bike usage:
This bike is in Hong Kong. The bike was used for commuting to work BUT it wasn't used everyday. My commute to and from work, total of 80km per day, consists of 80% highway 20% urban traffic. My goal is to save fuel so I often ride gently and only use the rpm range of 3000-4000rpm. When rpm reaches 4000, I shift up, when I need to slow down and the rpm drops to 3000, I go down one gear, On the highway, I stick to the slow lane (left lane just like UK/Australia) and usually ride at true GPS speed of 80km/h (50mph) which is speedo 85km/h, rpm is roughly 4800. Heavy commercial vehicles are limited to 70km/h (43mph) by law. If I catch up with them on the highway, I follow them behind. I never go to the mountain twistys, and 95% of the time, I obey the legal speed limit, to save fuel. My average fuel economy: 21km/L (49.4mpg us, 59.32mpg uk)
My comments:
This report really surprised me. I never thought the viscosity, TBN, the wear numbers would be this good. I also did TAN because I googled TAN vs TBN and the results have mixed opinions on the accuracy of TBN to determine the oil's ability to neutralize acids. Also I read here in bitog, A high TBN doesn't necessarily mean the oil are strong in additives. It could mean the additives are ineffective in neutralizing the acids, so the additives didn't get used, causing the high TBN number. Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 full syn car oil now in the bike for 1000km already, oil filter changed, no slipping clutch at all. Given the results of this report, I will be using a cheaper semi-syn car oil next time and again change it at 10,000km regardless of time.
For the UK people, my previous Granville 5W40 Renault Clio 8815mi analysis post (9 years ago), I know i wasn't clear in expressing myself, since I can no longer edit the post on bitog, i have rewritten it and posted on my personal blog.
This same engine is used on the 2013-2018 (euro 3 compliant), 2019-present (euro 4 compliant) ZX-6R 636 so this oil analysis should apply to those 2 generation bikes.
I was always doubtful of the owner's manual oil interval of 12,000km (7,600mi) or 1 year, whichever came first. I always change my oil when the oil has 5,000km, because by that time the shift quality decreases and You can hear very subtle ticking sound around the fuel tank area when idling. This time I decided to test Kawaski's oil interval by keeping this oil for nearly 10,000km (6,215mi) and more than 1 year.
The bike:
2014 ZX-6R 636 bought brand new. Everything stock, no add-on fuel controller, no performance muffler, drive chain is still original. Spark plugs and air filter was never changed, the same when the bike came out of the factory. Coolant was changed after the oil change on 13-7-2017 odo: 15,447km
The Oil:
ZIC M9 4T 10W-40 fully synthetic oil. The specs can be found here. Starting TBN of 7.24
Oil was put in on 7th July 2017 odo:15,186km, oil filter was not changed. The oil filter contained some old Agip i-ride pg 10W-60. Oil analysis sample was taken while draining the oil on 5th May 2019 odo: 24,996km. The oil mileage was 9,810km 1 year 10 months old.
Bike usage:
This bike is in Hong Kong. The bike was used for commuting to work BUT it wasn't used everyday. My commute to and from work, total of 80km per day, consists of 80% highway 20% urban traffic. My goal is to save fuel so I often ride gently and only use the rpm range of 3000-4000rpm. When rpm reaches 4000, I shift up, when I need to slow down and the rpm drops to 3000, I go down one gear, On the highway, I stick to the slow lane (left lane just like UK/Australia) and usually ride at true GPS speed of 80km/h (50mph) which is speedo 85km/h, rpm is roughly 4800. Heavy commercial vehicles are limited to 70km/h (43mph) by law. If I catch up with them on the highway, I follow them behind. I never go to the mountain twistys, and 95% of the time, I obey the legal speed limit, to save fuel. My average fuel economy: 21km/L (49.4mpg us, 59.32mpg uk)
My comments:
This report really surprised me. I never thought the viscosity, TBN, the wear numbers would be this good. I also did TAN because I googled TAN vs TBN and the results have mixed opinions on the accuracy of TBN to determine the oil's ability to neutralize acids. Also I read here in bitog, A high TBN doesn't necessarily mean the oil are strong in additives. It could mean the additives are ineffective in neutralizing the acids, so the additives didn't get used, causing the high TBN number. Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 full syn car oil now in the bike for 1000km already, oil filter changed, no slipping clutch at all. Given the results of this report, I will be using a cheaper semi-syn car oil next time and again change it at 10,000km regardless of time.
For the UK people, my previous Granville 5W40 Renault Clio 8815mi analysis post (9 years ago), I know i wasn't clear in expressing myself, since I can no longer edit the post on bitog, i have rewritten it and posted on my personal blog.
